Nov 23 The Luxury of Looking Away, by Kristina Lucarelli

It's been a week, almost to the minute, that we all realized Donald Trump would become POTUS. Honestly, I've had to type the phrase "President-elect Donald Trump" more times than I've wanted to (which is to say *any* times), thanks to my job. It never gets easier. It's. only. been. a. week. How the hell are we going to do this for four, maybe eight, years?

A lot of people had the luxury to look away after last Tuesday night. They could turn off their TVs, close web browsers, escape into whatever vice they chose (bartenders must've been having the best week ever), but I did not have such luxury. I worked until the wee hours of Wednesday morning, churning out Moment after Moment for Twitter, chronicling Trump's upset, Clinton's defeat, and all the mess of protests and tears and fear that followed. And I've worked and done the same almost every day since.

I've not really been able to take a break for myself or get away from the news, because my job is to consume and spit back out something palatable and easy to understand for Twitter users, and ideally people beyond Twitter as well. I take my job seriously, because there is so, so much false information and garbage out there. If *one* thing I curate helps change someone's mind, or helps them question the fake news that pulses through their Facebook feeds, or helps them begin to understand the ramifications of this disastrous election, then weeding through hate speech, racism, misogyny, the alt-right gloating, the slow return of white supremacy, etc., etc. etc., will have been worth it.

This has been one of the most taxing weeks I've had in recent history. And one thing I was not able to do through work (which is shine a light on just what kind of horror Trump gleefully helped escape Pandora's Box with his disgusting, small-minded rhetoric), a Twitter user did all on his own in one of the most powerful Moments I've ever seen. And I've seen thousands! It's called "Day 1 in Trump's America," and it's a long list of things people, mostly minorities, have experienced in the single week since the election. Spoiler alert: It's all horrendous.

Oh, and the cherry on top of all this? My brother *proudly* voted for Trump. It's...unfathomable. And not being able to turn away from social media has also meant I can't turn away from his continued celebrations of Trump's win. Let's just say that I'm looking forward to spending Thanksgiving with my boyfriend's Canadian family this year.

Kristina Lucarelli is a curator and social media editor living in New York.

The Writ is a blog that calls upon influencers to weigh in on the news. We issue a call, and our readers weigh in.

Our first call asked contributors to react to the results of the 2016 U.S. election in 500 words. At a time when we were left breathless, these thought leaders put pen to paper. To you, we present AFTERSHOCK 2016.

Our inaugural long read "The Lost Working Class" is penned by Professor Russell Kazal. He explains how a country that voted in the first African-American President, also voted in President-elect Trump.